Quoted from Mr. Blonde When I read "missed", it implies, in my mind, forgotten about. So, I'll rephrase: disqualified (on Macy and PSH). Others were in contention but were beaten out.

All good.

I suspect someone listens to the Filmspotting podcast with all this madness shenanigans  

Aren't all actors character actors? If they're not acting as a character, then they are playing themselves. Which is possible, like Eminem in 8-mile, Ice Cube in everything, Hugh Grant also in everything, etc, etc. But then, those guys are not really actors. Might be a tad unfair, they could be typecast... but still, no excuse for not putting a bit of originality into each part.

When you say character actor, do you simply mean a good actor? From the selections thus far, it seems to be just about anyone that can act. I watch for stories, not for actors. Some great actors can play shit parts in shit stories. I'm not in safe hands amidst a shit story just because there's somebody who can pull off a decent acting performance.

Quoted from DustinBowcot Aren't all actors character actors? If they're not acting as a character, then they are playing themselves. Which is possible, like Eminem in 8-mile, Ice Cube in everything, Hugh Grant also in everything, etc, etc. But then, those guys are not really actors. Might be a tad unfair, they could be typecast... but still, no excuse for not putting a bit of originality into each part. When you say character actor, do you simply mean a good actor? From the selections thus far, it seems to be just about anyone that can act. I watch for stories, not for actors. Some great actors can play shit parts in shit stories. I'm not in safe hands amidst a shit story just because there's somebody who can pull off a decent acting performance.

Guessing is the criteria is that excludes folks who typically play the lead role (i.e., no Deniro even though his role in meet the parents was as a character actor. No Nicholson even though his Joker was clearly a character actor).  

Exactly. This is where it got real tricky to make the list.

I still don't understand what defines a character actor as opposed to an actor that acts as a character.

I can't think of many films where the main or otherwise aren't playing a character. Even the background characters are acting. Acting is being somebody else, taking on another character. So, when it boils down to it, is character actor simply another term for an actor that can actually act?

From Wikipedia (and this does say it about as clearly as I think it can be said):

"A character actor or character actress is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters. The term, often contrasted with that of leading actor, is somewhat abstract and open to interpretation. In a literal sense, all actors can be considered character actors since they all play "characters", but in the usual sense it is an actor who plays a distinctive and important supporting role."

Character Actor is simply the accpted term for those actors who generally don't play lead roles. They show up a lot over the years, but most people never know their names. Such an actor is often referred to as "That Guy."  As in, "Oh, it's that guy."

A lot of actors on this list, though, ARE known by name.

P.S. Wrote this before seeing Sean's post.

I suppose I could have done a list like this with all these guys, but my worry would be that so few people would know them or care that each match-up would only have two or three votes:

David Morse.
Bruce Greenwood.
James Cromwell.
Tony Todd.
Michael Madsen.
Gregg Henry.
Ronny Cox.
Brian Dennehy.
Ted Levine.
Robert Shaw.
Elias Koteas.
Bob Gunton.
Raul Julia.
Vincent Schiavelli.
John Ashton.
Dennis Haysbert.
Joe Mantegna.
Reg E. Cathey.
David Strathairn.
Fred Willard.
Ray Wise.
Bruce McGill.
John Carroll Lynch.
Robert Loggia.
Mykelti Williamson.
Dermot Mulroney.
Clifton Collins Jr..
Neal McDonough.
Barry Pepper.
Danny Trejo.
John Saxon.
John Heard.
Peter Weller.
Jeffrey DeMunn.
M. Emmet Walsh.
Leland Orser.
Paul Winfield.
Xander Berkeley.
Delroy Lindo.
Michael Bowen.
Jonathan Hyde.
Noah Emmerich.
Yaphet Kotto.
John Astin.
Peter Greene.
Stephen Dorff.
William Sadler.
Robert Englund.
Henry Rollins.
Robert Lasardo.
M.C. Gainey.
Lance Henriksen.
David Warner.
Mekhi Phifer.
Jack McGee.
Fred Dalton Thompson.
William Devane.
Kurtwood Smith.
Mitch Pileggi.
Joe Morton.
Mike Starr.
Nestor Serrano.
Udo Kier.
Tommy Flanagan.
Carl Weathers.
Lou Diamond Phillips.
Albert Leong.
Raymond J. Barry.
Bruce Davison.
Scott Patterson.
Ernie Hudson.
Jeff Fahey.
Bokeem Woodbine.
Scott Glenn.
Frank Whaley.
Dan Hedaya.
Vondie Curtis-Hall.
Holt McCallany.
Richard T. Jones.
Luis Guzman.
Colm Feore.
Zeljko Ivanek.
Michael Rispoli.
Corbin Bernsen.
Kevin Dunn.
Zack Grenier.
Robert Patrick.
Dolph Lundgren.
Marshall Bell.

Internet problems. Supposed to have posted matches today, but can't until it's back. Will update later.

What's the purpose of these polls?

Since I've not been around in a while I've missed a lot.

Actor Vs actor.

I've not heard of most of these people btw.

It's a contest for people to vote on who they consider to be the best character actor. Part of what makes them character actors is that you're not going to know some of them by name.